Dr. Jamal J. EliasDirector

Dr. Elias is Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies and South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is also a member of the graduate faculty in Near Eastern Studies and Ancient History.

He has written and lectured widely on various aspects of Islamic art, literature, history and culture; his publications include a book on the culture of truck decoration in Pakistan (On Wings of Diesel: Identity, Imagination and Truck Decoration in Pakistan, 2011) and a major work on the perception of religious art in the Islamic world (Aisha's Cushion: Religious Art, Perception and Practice in Islam, 2012).

He is also a photographer whose work has been featured in solo and group shows in galleries across the U.S.

Twelve Gates Arts (12G) is a non profit (501(c)(3)) organization created with the aim to showcase international multidisciplinary arts bound by the sensibilities of a diasporic identity, especially the South Asian identity, and to create and promote projects in the community that cross geographic and cultural boundaries.

12G is a proud ACAW Consortium member - a dynamic citywide platform that connects leading New York and Asia-based museums and galleries to present cutting-edge exhibitions, innovative projects, and provocative dialogues.